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Automatic Electric AE 80 Beige

Started by Stormcrash, November 16, 2019, 06:53:42 PM

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Stormcrash

I've had this for a couple months now but I wanted to show this Beige AE80 I won on eBay in September. I got it for $20 plus shipping and it's in great shape. The beige plastics have not yellowed at all, and it still has the old style fingerwheel on it. It's also the older style with the handset cord coming out the back, but no rheostat underneath.

The housing does have an extra cutout on the side for a handset cord to mount there so I'm uncertain if the plastic has ever been replaced on this phone.  It has a 206 area code number card from when that covered a lot more than just Seattle in WA. I added the modular block on the end as the line cord spades had been cut off.

Stormcrash

One more thing. When I was first cleaning it up it wouldn't pick up the line. I guessed that having been on hook for so long the switch contacts might be dirty and swabbed them with some rubbing alcohol.  Sure enough that fixed the issue.  It does have a frequency ringer installed, though the base shows it shipped as a CXX no ringer, so I'm looking for an AE straight line ringer to install instead.

It was super clean inside too. A previous attempt at a beige 80, besides being yellowed pretty uniformly, was filthy inside from being stored in a barn or garage. I ended up donating that one.